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Friday, 13 February 2015

The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)

Romance is in the air. The arrow of cupid has struck and, as
Robson and Jerome covered, this Saturday night is at the movies. You may
believe a Subway and Titanic is a romantic night in. I would
argue it’s not*. In fact, an alternative is to head down to the BFI and watch a
re-mastered copy of The Philadelphia
Story. Not only will this extraordinary comedy give you a superior sense of
cinematic taste, but it also features the genius pairing of Cary Grant and Jimmy
Stewart – and that’s in addition to the feisty Katharine Hepburn, who’s the
subject of a retrospective throughout February. The Philadelphia Story is a fast-paced, playful romance that toys
with ideas of wealth, duty and love. Jimmy Stewart the hardworking cynic. Cary
Grant the smug, self-assured playboy. And, of course, Katharine Hepburn
herself, who’s due to be married to a sensible fellow.

Laid back and nonchalant, Cary Grant is the ex-husband
hiring the press to snoop on the rich Lord Family, as Tracy Lord (Hepburn) intends
to remarry. The affluence of the Lord’s is not to be ignored. There are
expectations and roles to represent – and Tracy has no interest in doggedly
following Daddy’s orders. But this rebellious streak can be found in the two who
eventually vie for her love. Dexter (Cary Grant) and Connor (James Stewart) are
both rebellious creatures. Dexter plots to spoil Tracy’s wedding, while Connor
simply despises the entire elite system. It’s only George Kittredge (John
Howard) who gamely attempts to follow the rules. If you’re to strike a lover
off Tracy’s list, her husband-to-be is surely at the top.

Rumour has it that J.J.Abrams, director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, watches The Philadelphia Story before going
into production on every film he creates. It may not be the sci-fi you’d assume
or an action jaunt that would seem more in keeping with the genre filmmaking of
Abrams, but it does prove how Donald Ogden Stewart’s script is something to
behold. Winning an Oscar for the screenplay, it manages to weave in and out of
different stories changing your attention between each character and reframing
your initial judgements. Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for Best Actor and, though
nominated for Best Picture, it lost out to Hitchcock’s first American
production, Rebecca. It seems Jimmy
Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock were destined for each other –perhaps it was at
that very ceremony whereby their partnership was formed.

The Philadelphia
Story also holds a little history too, as this was Katherine Hepburn’s
comeback film. After a run of failed films (including the magnificent Bringing Up Baby failing to pull in the
crowds), she was deemed ‘box office poison’ by independent cinemas across
America. Written by Philip Barry for the stage, Barry wrote the part with
Hepburn in mind and it consequently led to a successful Broadway show
co-starring Joseph Cotton. Interestingly, The
Philadelphia Story was adapted further into a musical in High Society.

So, with your plans arranged for this weekend, there is no
need to thank me. Instead, thank the impeccable comedic timing of Cary Grant
and the cheeky face of Jimmy Stewart. In fact, thank Katherine Hepburn, who
seems to be so exquisite that she turned the audience around and won their
support. This was the beginning of her “comeback”, to lead to, among others, The African Queen. This is a romantic
comedy of the highest order, and shouldn’t be missed.